Tuscaloosa

Tuscaloosa

George Archibald, Jr. was 12 years old when he started working in the family barbecue business his father started in 1962. Today, George and his sister, Paulette, keep this diamond in the rough going, serving Archibald's famous ribs and vinegar-based sauce. Lines often form before the doors even open, and spots fill up fast at the picnic tables outside. More

Former University of Alabama and Miami Dolphins star Bob Baumhower opened his first restaurant in 1981. What started as a counter-service establishment soon grew to a chain of four full-service restaurants. Today, Baumhower's boasts 13 locations across the state, in addition to sister restaurants Bob's Victory Grille, the Compleat Angler and Bimini Bob's. The sports-themed favorite is famous for wings available in a variety of flavors and six temperatures varying from mild to 911 to Bring Da' Pain. The menu also features burgers, Southern-inspired entrees and popular ooey-gooey cheese fries. More

Legendary Alabama football player Bob Baumhower created a restaurant as All-American as he is with Bob’s Victory Grille. The extensive menu is full of staples like fried Gulf shrimp, wings, and specialty pizzas and paninis. Fans are particularly fond of the traditional Southern elements Bob’s brings to the table, from sharable sides to homemade desserts like Nana’s Pecan Pie.

City Cafe is located on Main Avenue in historic downtown Northport. A favorite among locals and students from the area's colleges, the Southern home cookin' keeps the restaurant packed five days a week.

Overlooking the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa, Cypress Inn boasts casual dining in an elegant setting. A combination of family recipes and local ingredients have earned Cypress Inn several distinctions, including a spot among the Top 10 Catfish Restaurants in America.

The original location in Tuscaloosa, a homegrown joint with a worldly following, still packs in hungry diners. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, Dreamland developed devoted fans who would travel across the nation to eat at this storied spot. Nowadays, servers deliver complimentary appetizer plates of white bread and the same sauce that the original owner, Big Daddy, developed. Smoked sausage, chopped pork sandwiches and sides of beans, slaw, potato salad and banana pudding have been added to the menu since the original restaurant opened. But keeping those ribs just like they used to be is key to Dreamland’s success both here and at the other shops, explained Betsy McAtee, the CEO of today’s Dreamland. “All of our Dreamlands use the same meat, the same sauce, the same wood vendor out of Tuscaloosa, just like the original location,” she said. More

Self-defining its offerings as “new American farm-to-table cuisine,” Epiphany Cafe brings an emphasis on regional ingredients to historic downtown Tuscaloosa. A frequently changing menu means only the most in-season dishes are offered, and Executive Chef Tres Jackson personally selects all ingredients used. More

Since 1998, Evangeline's has offered Tuscaloosa an upscale dining experience with an ever-evolving menu of American and internationally inspired cuisine. Known for its crab cakes, the restaurant specializes in dishes that feature fresh, Gulf seafood.

Once known as Pat James' Full Moon Bar-B-Que, the restaurant, famous for its half-moon cookies and chow-chow — a spicy, sweet Southern relish — was bought in 1996 by brothers David and Joe Maluff. Full Moon now boasts eight locations, including the original in Birmingham's Southside. More

The Guthrie family restaurant opened in Haleyville in 1965. It wasn't until 1978, however, that the famous chicken fingers and sauce — the result of a contest between the Guthrie children to see who could make the best chicken finger sauce — were added to the menu. In the 1980s, Guthrie's began serving only chicken fingers, fries, bread and sauce. Though the restaurant now boasts more than 20 locations throughout Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee, the sauce and chicken fingers are still made the same way they were when it all began.

Momma Goldberg's Deli has served the Auburn area since 1976. Recently the eatery, famous for its Momma's Love sandwich (a combination of roast beef, ham, turkey and Muenster cheese) has expanded to more than 20 locations across Alabama and Georgia.